Do you remember Jared from the Subway commercials? At one point in his life he weighed 425 pounds and it was at that time that he decided he wanted to lose weight. Between the years of 1998 – 1999 he lost a staggering 245 pounds. Such an amazing weight loss begs the question: “How did he do it?” The answer, simply put, was that he stuck to a plan. Jared made it a point to only eat certain things each day and to workout a certain amount every day. Jared was intentional in his life.
The apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian church concerning this same idea. In 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 Paul pens these words:
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified” (emphasis added).
Paul wanted to remind the people of Corinth to be intentional in their actions. Paul says that he does “not run aimlessly” nor does he “box as one beating the air.” If you have ever watched a runner you know that they run for a purpose. They run to win the race. A boxer is similar. A boxer does not flail his arms around hoping to land a punch, he instead thinks about every punch, uppercut and jab in order to achieve his goal of winning the match. Our lives need to be the same way.
Paul is not writing to Corinth to remind them to be better athletes. He is writing to them to inspire them to be better Christians. You see, Christians aren’t supposed to be running around in circles or flailing their arms in the air! Christians are supposed to be intentional! Paul is writing this illustration as a reminder to the Corinthians to be intentional. The question then arises as to why we are supposed to be intentional.
Why are we supposed to be intentional? The answer is simple. We are to be intentional because we are running to receive an imperishable wreath. We are running to win the prize. We are not like the non-Christians of the world. Their goal is to achieve what they can in this lifetime, but we run to win a prize that is so much better. How can we win that prize? What does it mean to be intentional?
In order to be intentional, just like Jared, we have to plan. For us it’s not dieting and physical exercise it’s Bible study and prayer time. Here’s what I want you to try with me. After you’re done reading this plan to study your Bible for just 10 minutes at some point tomorrow. That’s being intentional. Decide right now, to set aside time tomorrow in study of your Bible. This is a simple little thing but you will find that doing this will help you better run towards the imperishable wreath. Why, because personal study brings us closer to the One that will crown us with that wreath.- Jack D.
